The Yellow Sharingan
by TheElementist
Summary: In the Forest of Death, during his exam, Naruto learns the truth about his family from Orochimaru. His father, the Fourth sided with the village, betrayed his wife, Kushina, and released the Kyubi to seal it within Naruto as a weapon. Armed with this knowledge, Naruto plots the village's destruction and seeks to kill the man who murdered his mother, Danzo. [Naruto X Harem]
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: The Cursed Uzumaki Cancelled **(Results from poll) and here's the new story.

Sorry for the long delay. Changed the original plot for this new story and got side track in learning how to draw female figures.

Chapter 2 is already done. Waiting to see the reception of this before posting that one.

Anyway enjoy.

"Talk"

_Thoughts_

* * *

**Chapter 1**

**A Girl Wants You**

* * *

Gasping for air and both hands on his knees, Naruto surveys the dead reptilian carcass. Purple blood ooze from the giant snake, mouth gaping wide as the light fades in its eyes.

Their battle began and ended in brief. Surprised at first, Naruto acted quickly on his feet. Dodging the giant snake—lunging to swallow him whole—Naruto threw some kunai blades wrapped with paper bombs. The reptile swallowed those instead. The explosion, subtle in noise and action, looked devastating; rupturing its skin and grey smoke seeped out from its swollen body. The beast collapsed soon after like timber.

Naruto wipes the sweat on his forehead; relieved from escaping the slimy coils of death. A creature this size, slithering through this forest was quite surprising and terrifying at first. But then again it won't be called the forest of death without something like this roaming around. Naruto stares at the dead snake, praying inside to never face more of its kind.

Several shurikens bursts out from the bushes, flying straight for him and Naruto reacts, jumping in seconds to watch the star blades burrow into the ground he once stood. He backflips and lands on a large branch; senses on edge as he peers into the dark forest for the source.

Someone's out there with a deadly intent; no doubt watching as he took care of that monster snake; waiting till the end to strike just as he lowered his guard in relief. Naruto corrects his stance on the branch, reaching behind into his pouch for weapons; eyes darting back and forth, scanning for any signs of life. No longer training his sights at the direction from where the shurikens came from. The culprit won't be there anymore and who said he came alone; teams of three so his friends will be near somewhere.

Kunai blades streak for him and Naruto pulls his out own and swats them down like flies. He sees a girl in front, walking slowly towards him with a wide grin defacing a very pale face. It wasn't until she steps into the murky light that he catches the glinting headband on her forehead. _Sound! _

She's a sound shinobi; obviously one of the many foreign genins in this year's exam. "Impressive." She says, gazing at the dead snake below. "I thought you would have trouble with him." She crouches down, looking intently at reptile carcass below and Naruto spots an opening; he slings his blade straight for the skull and she grabs it with such ease that it throws Naruto off for a second. _What the…._

She rises back up, twirling the blade like nothing had happen; like his attempt to behead her was water under a bridge. "I definitely wasn't expecting you to finish him off so quickly. Maybe I underestimated you Naruto." She turns to him with that devilish grin; bleak eyes that screams run.

Naruto unconsciously takes a step back; drenched from the wave of bloodlust spewing from her; the same eerily feeling he sensed from that snake and then Naruto's face comes alive, like the gears inside his head suddenly clicked together. Her demeanor; the way she eyes the monster; how she speaks of it. _She summoned it! _

"Who are you?" He barks at her; his body on edge.

"Me?" She sounds hurt, like he should know her. "I'm just here as a friend." She walks towards him. "A long lost friend." She smirks, enjoying the swirl of confusion, agitation, and fear on his expression. "Here me out Uzumaki." She calls him by his clan name and it triggers him.

Naruto pulls out two kunai blades; one in each hand. No one, other than people in the village—actually just his classmates—should know his full name; not some stranger from a Sound village. "Who the fuck are you and how do you know my name?" He squares his legs into a fighting stance; blades in front and serving as a subtle final warning to her. She needs to choose her response carefully or he will launch into his attack. She's no a friend or some long lost acquaintance.

She pauses and stretches out both hands; exposing her chest but Naruto knows not to take her bait. "I come in peace; here to inform you about yourself. You're pretty famous Naruto." She says and Naruto wavers inside. _Inform me?_ She doesn't want his scroll. Sasuke has it anyway.

"What is it you want to tell me?" He asks, a part of him intrigue on what she offers.

A small smile forms on her lips, like his inquiry is her small victory. "I'm glad you're interested in what I have to tell you, Naruto." She says. "But first…." She hesitates. "I need to make you relax." She lunges at him without warning and Naruto throws himself off the branch, narrowly avoiding the fist that splinters that tree bark behind him.

He leaps and bounces off multiple branches to put a distance between her. Landing on a branch that feels far enough, he turns back. She's struggling, trying to pull her arm out of the tree trunk. Buried deep into the trunk, that blow was for him. Naruto gulps, imagining the damage it could have done. He's reminded of Sakura but this person doesn't hold his wellbeing in mind unlike that pink headed Sasuke-obsessed idiot.

With force, she yanks her arm free, peeling some skin off. Grinning maniacally, she turns to Naruto; the blood trickling down her arm not even bothering her. Naruto watches with awe; more alarmed than ever; stunned that she's not even fazed by her injury.

She vanishes and Naruto's eyes widen; his head swiveling widely trying to catch a glimpse of her. He does but it is when she's near. Naruto throws his blades at the blur that is her movement, conjuring up a jutsu after emptying his hands. Several clones pop into existence and she reaches the branch he stands on. She moves like a snake, limbs stretching as she zigzags for him. His clones charge in first with blades in hands, but she makes quick work of them and seconds later they all dispel into white gas.

Naruto reaches into his pouch and throw outs beads straight in her path. They explode into a steamy hot gas, expanding far around the area and she halts to a sudden stop, feeling a sticky wet substance clinging to her. _Interesting! _She rubs her fingers together, feeling the wet thick liquid. _It seems those beads were filled with oil; flammable I presume. _She sniffs her finger, recognizing that gasoline smell.

Naruto doesn't wait. Getting to a safe distance, he throws a kunai, wrapped with a paper bomb, into the gas. It ignites, cascading into multiple and deafening explosions; strong enough that it rocks the dead quiet forest. Birds flew off from nearby trees into the sky.

The large branch burns into a large bonfire. The structure weakens and Naruto hears the cracks from it. The burning tree limb begins to give in to its weight and soon after it breaks off, plummeting to the ground.

Naruto stands unsure as he watches the burning wreck. "Did it work?" He asks and a fist clobbers the side of his face. It hurls him into a nearby tree trunk.

"To answer your question? No!" She stares at her fist; admiring the power in it. "But it was a good try though." She nods her head in agreement. "Pretty impressive filling those beads with fuel and then somehow turning them into a gas. That's actually smart." She clutches her chin; praising him with pure honest.

"The gaseous state allows it to expand rapidly; covering a wide area and the viscosity of that liquid gasoline means it will still be wet enough to stick to any one in it." She elaborates, truly impressed. First time, she's seen this before; something to use later.

Naruto groans as he lifts himself up; his head throbbing like she clobbered him with a hammer instead. His jaw burns and he knows it's broken; if not then cracked. He clutches his chin, massaging it as he yawns to stretch out his jaw. Something inside his mouth cracks and he stops. No need to worsen his state.

Coming back online, he notices her and gawks in shock; stunned. His move definitely did work; it caught her. She stands with a body badly burned; charred clothing and bruised, burned skin peeling off like a snake shedding its dry skin. _Is she human?_ Naruto's eyes enlarges to extreme lengths; face stretched as he stares at her in horror. She doesn't look in pain or distress like it's not even her body.

She notices his gawking and smiles. "Like the new look Naruto?"

"Who…." He stutters. "Who are you?" More like what are you?

She offers no witty remarks, but instead widens her leer. Vanishing, she reappears in front of him in flash. Naruto moves to react but she reacts faster, punching him straight in the gut. The pain bulges his eyes wide and saps all the air out of him. She doesn't let his body fall and instead she grabs him by the neck, strangling high of his feet.

Naruto starts choking, fighting to pry her grip off, but his arms are too weak to move her gorilla grip. "See how easily I can kill you; snap your neck like a twig." She taunts him, sneering at his face.

Naruto only coughs, choking on spit and blood. His vision of her mockery expression starts to fade, blurring as tears fill his eyes. _What's going on? _He's trying to reach Kurama but nothing is happening; like his beast is dormant, sleeping through all this as he chokes; his life seeping away. _Kurama! KURAMA!_ He yells for help.

She brings her face closer and Naruto fights to pull his head away but he doesn't get far. Next to his ear, she whispers, "The nine-tails can't help you today."

"How…?" Naruto tries to ask, but speaking while choking was hard.

She pulls back. "It doesn't matter how I know. What matters is your choice?" She says and Naruto can only glare at her. "Do you either want to die right now, struggling and choked out, or the other choice which I suggest you pick which is; sit back, relax, and listen to what I have to tell you?"

Naruto grits his teeth, trying to show defiance in the face of her domination. "What do you want to tell me?"

"Nah nah nah…"She wags a finger at him. "You have to choose mister."

He holds only one choice, especially with Kurama bailing on him. How does she know about his beast, he wonders. _A genin from the Sound village._

"Okay I'll listen." He yields, relaxing, and she beams him a smile. "But you have to tell me who you are." Naruto adds and she seems to think about it.

"Okay." She agrees and then releases her strangle hold. Naruto plops back down with a thud, coughing and holding his throat. He can feel her imprints on his neck. "See how easy I become when you don't get combative with me?" She says and walks away from him.

Naruto glares dagger at her back. "I never was until you decided to charge at me." He mumbles to himself, but she heard him.

She turns to him. "To prove that I mean you no harm….." She says like everything before never happened. "….I will give you something to help you and your team in this part of the exam." She pulls out an Earth scroll from behind and tosses it in front. It rolls to his face and Naruto eyes it like a lost treasure finally discovered.

"An Earth scroll!" He sounds aghast. Sasuke has their Heaven scroll, which means their objective for this part of the exam is lying right in front of him. _This has to be trick. _He reasons and then looks up to argue, but she shuts him up in an instant. "It's the real deal. Check the insignia on the bottom."

Naruto gingerly grabs the scroll and spots the spoken insignia; the earth sign that can't be replicated with any jutsu. This is authentic. "Why?" He asks. "What about you?" And her team; the one he still hasn't met. Are they attacking Sasuke and Sakura, he wonders and begins to worry.

She huffs, brushing aside his question like they were childish. "I don't care about these stupid scrolls. In fact I could care less about this whole exam." She says. "I'm only here for you." She adds and Naruto doesn't know what to feel. Not every day he hears a girl wanting him; even one as creepy as this one.

_Me! She's here because of me._ She stares at Naruto, the skin on her face peeling off, revealing an even paler skin and an eye with a slit pupil. Naruto stares at the eye with amazement and a slight fear. She isn't human; whatever's behind that skin.

She approaches and Naruto crawls back until he hits the tree bark behind. "Do you want to know what happened to your mother Naruto Uzumaki?" Orochimaru speaks.

* * *

A/N: Thanks and review.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **Haha, I was stunned to see the positive reception Chap 1 received. I love it when I have engaged readers like you guys.

Read, Enjoy, and Review/Comment

"Talk"

_Thoughts_

* * *

**Chapter 2**

**Pray**

* * *

The gust of wind came out of nowhere; separating Sakura and him from Naruto. Sasuke surveys his new surroundings. They are deep inside the forest, far away from the entrance gates. Confused but also enraged that they got so easily ambushed. Sasuke bit his lip in frustration. He let his guard down. He wasn't expecting enemies so near them right away.

Whoever did this knew where to look and waited for them; probably someone who's taken this exam before._ Like that Kabuto guy!_ Sasuke concludes he and his team might be behind this.

_Whatever. _Sasuke brushes aside his thoughts on Kabuto. He needs to get ready, for whoever attacked them. Naruto got separated from them so they will head for him first and come back to them once they figure he doesn't have the scroll.

"Sasuke!" Sakura calls him and Sasuke winces in annoyance and rage. _FOOL! _He insults her in his head; incensed at how aloof she seems in their situation; unaware that her voice is too loud.

"Sasuke!" Sakura runs towards Sasuke, calling out for him. "Sasuke, are you ok.." Sasuke covers her mouth.

"Sakura you idiot! Keep your voice down!" He hisses; his face ridden with anger. It stuns the pink headed; hearing her Sasuke scolding her like that. He's never done this before. Well maybe he has but not with this angry looking face.

"The people who did this are still out there!" He whispers. "You need to you stay alert. No more goofing off. This is real. Any mistake you make can get us both killed. You need to focus from now on. No one is here to save you. It's just us now. Understood?"

Sakura nods vigorously; partly out of fear at this new angry-looking Sasuke. But she quickly gathers her wit and her expression morphs into a serious one.

Sasuke feels her growing more calm and notices the change demeanor in her; her eyes fierce like his. Sensing she now sees the dangers around them like he does; he nods back to her in understanding and removes his hand from her mouth.

"We need to hide!" He whispers and they both fly off the branch and into thicker woods. They land not too far off to hide in some bushes, lying flat on the ground; watching, waiting.

"Here take the scroll." Sasuke rolls it to her. He wants it her possession since he will be the one fighting. "Don't come out. Under no circumstances should you ever come out!" He looks squarely in her eyes, driving home his instructions.

"Okay." Sakura responds with apprehension, worried Sasuke will try to take this on all by himself. _Why doesn't he trust them? And where's Naruto? _She worries about the blonde. "Sasuke, shouldn't we go look for Naruto?" She asks him, but he has his sights set straight ahead into the clearing, watching for signs of the enemy.

Sakura stares ahead also, feeling he might not answer her; fearing Sasuke might ignore their other teammate altogether. She knows the hatred those two hold for each other, but Naruto is still his friend, right? She wonders, unsure anymore. _Naruto would definitely look for Sasuke in this situation. _She imagines. _I hope he's okay._ She prays his safety.

"He's probably dead." Sasuke says and Sakura turns in shock. "Whoever did this intentionally separated us. They will probably go for him first." He shares his blunt opinion. "If we try to look for him now, they will pick us off." He glances at her. "We need to wait and see who're dealing with."

Digesting what he just said, Sakura ignores his harsh assessment, burying the stunned emotion she had moments ago. Of course, her Sasuke will never leave Naruto to die. They will simply look for him after dealing with the threat in front. She scans ahead, wondering about this threat. Fear creeps into her thoughts but like before, she buries them deep. Sasuke is with her right now.

"Stay here!" Sasuke tells her. And Sakura is dragged back to reality; her fear along with it.

"Wait! Sasuke." She reaches for him. "Where are you going?" She asks; voice laced in fright.

"Laying traps. Wait here!" He tells her and then backs out from the bush. She returns her sight back in front, trembling without even realizing; now praying deeply for his safety and hers.

* * *

The wind vortex jutsu was complete and Kabuto glances at Karin behind. "Ready?" He asks.

"To kick some Uchiha butts? Sure." She replies in jest. Of course Kabuto, not one accustomed to humor, takes her remarks to heart.

"We're not going there to harm them. Just keep them occupy while Orochimaru deals with the boy." He explains and Karin shrugs her shoulder, eyes glaze like all this seem pointless. Her nonchalant demeanor irks Kabuto to a great extent. "Pay attention next time will ya?"

She yawns and joins him in front. "Calm down four eyes. I know what the plan is."

Kabuto's eye twitches. _Four eyes? You wear glasses as well. _He hates this bitch more than anything. He snarls his lips in distaste; itching to inflict severe harm to her. But his lordship values her blood greatly. _After all she is the last female Uzumaki alive._ Kabuto turns away from her. It would sooth his psyche—and his urge to kill her—if he simply ignores her.

While Kabuto fumes inside, Karin goes back to the one thing bugging her since their whole infiltration of the village, the boy whom their Lord has so much interest in; that Uzumaki kid like her. Of course, she doesn't view him as a true Uzumaki since he was born outside their clan unlike her. It seems his mother was an Uzumaki and she was wedded to this village Fourth Hokage just like Mito was to the First.

Karin snipes at the thought of Mito; she loathes the former Matriarch of their clan for leaving and abandoning their clan in favor of love. Her betrayal can never be gloss over. It left their clan exposed, unprotected; which the alliance took advantage off to wipe them out.

She escaped as freshly newborn with her mother. But her mother would die later from her many wounds years later. Everything Karin now knows of their clan came from her stories and the many texts and scrolls she snatched while escaping the hell consuming their home.

_And now here we are and Orochimaru is risking so much to meet this kid._ "Kabuto!" She looks at him. "Why is Orochimaru so interesting in that boy?" The one thing nagging her thoughts this whole time.

Kabuto frowns at her, annoyed that she speaks to him. "Why do you suddenly care?" He asks, intrigue by her sudden interest. She's never displayed any interest in this mission before.

She considers his derisive tone, knowing full well his disdain for her, but she stashes his feeling aside and decides to open him up. "It's okay to say I don't know, Kabuto." She mocks him and Kabuto face turns red. She looks elsewhere, smiling at how simple minded he is. Soon he will spew his guts to prove her wrong.

"Shut up you bitch! I know more than you ever will." Kabuto yells; seething from irate. An emotion he displays more so often lately. She's the only who brings this out of him. Why? He wonders, scowling at her. _Calm down Kabuto!_ He tells himself.

Karin turns to him. "Okay second in command, spill the beans then. What's Orochimaru's deal?"

Now calm, Kabuto thinks this over. "And why would I tell you?"

"See! Admit it! You don't know anything."

Kabuto sees through her desperation and smirks. He nudges his glass up and Karin senses the tide turning. _Fuck he's acting all cocky again._

"While I'm glad you're finally showing some interests in this mission, foot soldiers should just follow orders and do as their told. Leave the planning to us, leaders." He grins at her and it is now Karin's turn to twitch an eye.

Kabuto decides to have the last say, so he walks away from her. "Let's move!" He orders and then jumps into the air and disappears. Karin debates for a second, hurling numerous insults while at it, but she follows suit and joins him.

* * *

The traps are set and Sasuke hides behind a tree trunk, waiting for his guests. Unaware that something inhuman stalks him. He hears a hiss and then catches the giant snake lunging for him; mouth wide open. Shock turns to flight and he leaps into the air, avoiding getting rammed into.

The snake pulls back from the tree bark it burrowed itself into and shakes off the debris. Sasuke lands only to have the beast springing up for him. Now longer surprised, he fights. Grabbing a dozen shurikens inside his pouch and charging them with his chakra, he slings them all at once with deadly accuracy. They fly fast and straight into the beast's fleshy mouth. It yelps in pain and tumbles down below.

He gathers his breath, but keeps his senses alive.

"Impressive." A girl speaks and Sasuke turns to the source. Two figures stand on branch far in some distance; not close to any of his traps. He squints, catching sights of the sound insignia on their headbands. They summoned that snake, he deduce and most likely conjured that wind jutsu as well.

But he only sees two of them. Sasuke glances around, looking for the third. He can't sense him. Does it mean the third is with Naruto or worse? And that is he simply can't sense him.

In a few seconds, Sasuke goes through numerous scenarios. Should he activate his Sharingan to search for the third? That would expose his powers to these two. He decides on waiting. He stands on edge, feeling slightly vulnerable without his ocular sights, but he will wait and see how they act.

"I've never seen anyone kill them like that before and so quickly too." The girl says and Sasuke listens, more confident that these two are behind all this mess.

Kabuto looks at her. "Stop playing with him Karin." He knows from his bingo book how deadly this kid is. His bloodline is not the only reason why Orochimaru is interested in him.

Karin stares back at Kabuto and suddenly realizes that he had exposed himself to them earlier before the exam began; in that large waiting room. And then she wonders why she's the only one in disguise but he wasn't. "Hey, why am I the only wearing a disguise?" She asks to him.

Kabuto has an incredulous look on his face. "Really? Now you wanna ask this question?"

"Yes Kabuto. Now is a good time, because there's never a good time with you." She fumes at his face. "Do you know how uncomfortable it is to wear a dead skin?" She hisses; pulling on her dead skin like it was fabric.

Sasuke watches on; confused by the two. They bicker like a couple, ignoring him like he wasn't there. It was tempting to attack, but he holds still. It could be a trap. _But damn, they're so wide open._ They look so exposed. If he stood near them, he won't hesitate to launch something at them.

Sasuke prays that Sakura could see what he saw. Those two are so wide open. Unfortunate she isn't near. If she was, he would have given her some signal to attack, preferably from behind. But it's Sakura anyway; the girl's too dense to figure anything out. And since he specifically told her not to move, there's no way she would budge.

_Damn it! _Sasuke bit his lip; for the first in his life wishing that Naruto was here. That knucklehead would definitely know what to do. And he would never listen to him and stay put.

* * *

A/N: Thanks and review.

Chap 3 is almost done.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** When I posted Chapter 2, the website didn't display my fic as an update. It was weird. A bunch of you probably missed the update then.

Any Read, Enjoy, and Review. [I like engaged readers, it keeps me writing]

"Talk"

_Thoughts_

* * *

**Chapter 3**

**One's Truth**

* * *

Sakura watches as Sasuke is taken behind the woodshed by the two sound genins; his body bruised, riddled with gashes and cuts. The surprise of Kabuto being one their attackers had worn off and now Sakura was just biting her lips, deep worried about her Sasuke as he gets abused by the tag team duo. They are too much for him alone.

She can't tell if Sasuke's is using his Sharingan; too far removed from the battle to see clearly. But the fear dancing inside her head is saying his eyes might not even be enough. The gap between him and them is like a chasm. And she wonders what good will she be if she leaves her hidey-hole to join the fight. They would certainly kill her and find the scroll on her.

The female sound kunoichi delivers a roundhouse kick to Sasuke's skull and he's sent plummeting down below; slamming into a tree trunk near the ground. He grunts in pain, clutching his head. Sakura can only look on, clawing the dirt in frustration and fear. _Naruto where are you?_ She begs, hoping and praying for anything to come rescue them.

Sasuke's vision blurs and with the air knocked out of him, he breathes hard to stay awake and not pass out. He wipes the blood dripping from his mouth.

Relentless as always, the two land in the clearing—some distance from him—and Sasuke props himself up. Seeing them standing in the clearing—exactly where he wants them to be—he smiles; a small smile unnoticeable to all.

"So much for being deadly huh." Karin—wearing the disguise of a dark hair female—turns to Kabuto; mocking his bingo book assessment of the Uchiha.

Kabuto looks perplexed. He feels Sasuke should be much better than this; _almost like he's holding back._ They've only seen glimpses of his Sharingan, but that's just about it; glimpses. The boy doesn't keep it activated long enough to be threat; like he can't _or he's conserving chakra._ Kabuto wonders, nudging his glass up a bit in thought.

Seeing him nudge his glass, a sign that he's stuck deep in his own little world, Karin rolls her eyes in annoyance. Now her partner over there is going to freeze, turn into a statue, thinking long and hard about some shit he couldn't plan for or foresee; one of his many habits that she finds extremely irritating.

"Strange." Kabuto speaks and Karin glances back at him, wondering what conclusions four eyes reached while in his deliberations. "Is he hiding something?" He asks.

"Who cares?" Karin grows impatient. "I say we knock him out and be done with this." She charges for the Sasuke, ignoring Kabuto's calls not to. Unlike him, she acts; not stand there like a moron, pondering all day.

Of course she doesn't plan on killing the boy, just to incapacitate him so he's no longer a nuisance.

Sasuke's smile stretches and Karin spots it. _Something's not right! _She halts to sudden stop, feeling the change in the boy's demeanor. That predatory smile of his screamed trouble and she's seen many to not take his seriously.

"What's wrong?" Kabuto shouts to her.

"Thanks for playing along." Sasuke speaks for the first time; grinning menacingly at the end.

"Shit!" Karin's eyes widen as she now see the danger but it's too late. Sasuke yanks on the near-invincible thread in his hand and it springs his trap. Around the clearing, numerous threads—wired in all directions—sprung up from the ground like a nasty surprise; a black web they form around them, some wrapping around their legs.

Sasuke pulls back on the thread he grips and begins to weave a deadly web. His threads follow his orchestration; coiling, slinging, and crisscrossing all around the clearing and around the two. Sasuke completes his trap in seconds and Karin and Kabuto stands immobilized in it, wrapped like presents by the threads; rooted to their feet.

_Fuck he got us!_ Kabuto screams inside and quickly runs through his options to escape.

Karin wiggles her body, trying to free a hand; her luck that she caught the glinting of the thread in his hand; just in time to grab a scroll and a kunai blade from her back pouch. Another second too late in reacting and her arms would be wrapped tight around her body right now, unable to reach for anything in her purse.

Seeing them struggling for movement, Sasuke acts quickly. "This ends now!" He says and claps both hands together to form hand signs. Karin's face stretches in horror. She recognizes that fire-style hand signs. _Fuck!_ She needs to act now.

Taking a gulping breath and pooling chakra into his mouth, Sasuke widens his eyes, activating his Sharingan. He blows air tight through his lips. _Fire-style; spider phoenix flames._ A bright wave of yellow flames spews from him, rapidly racing in every direction along the threads like they were soaked in gasoline. It blankets the clearing with heat and yellow light; consuming everything within sight and turning the surrounding forest into darkness.

Sakura looks on with awe. The heat so simmering that it warms her face. _Amazing!_ Her Sasuke is fucking amazing.

A minute past and the bright flames begin to simmer; the light in the forest begins to return. Sasuke breathes hard, exhausted as he watches his fire recede as the flames lose its power. Tempted to take a knee and rest, he stands instead, waiting to see their remains. In the middle, two large fire still rages on. Makes sense they would burn more than the empty surroundings.

A couple more minutes past and the two large fires simmer to embers; clear enough for him to make out their remains. Sasuke gazes hard and long with anticipation and then he flinches in shock. The flame finally dies out, revealing the surprise; two giant holes in the ground. _What? _Sasuke reels back in disbelief. He had them. He saw them get swallowed by his flames. Unless he thought he did.

Two large puff of white smokes explodes into existence from where the holes are. Sasuke stares as the white smoke dissipates; leaving two giant snakes lying in the clearing; the same kind he killed before. These ones looked deceased as well; somewhat burned from their head down.

_What the fuck is going on?_ He trembles, partly due to his fatigue. That move was his ace. He saved up his chakra—choosing not to use his Sharingan too much—for that move and now it seems like he failed.

Something begins moving inside the snake as a bulge part of the snake shifts along, heading for the head. The dead snake's mouth opens and out comes the female genin, gasping for air.

_That was close! _Karin thinks, staring at the stunned boy; her thoughts replaying everything over. Both scroll and blade were in her hands behind her back. The scroll was a summoning jutsu so slicing a finger with the kunai blade; she got the blood needed to summon the snake. The snake—hypnotized already to swallow her—burst out from the ground below and swallowed her whole just before the flames engulfed her.

Everything cut too close. Her luck was pushed back there. Karin gallops for fresh air like a whale swallowing krill. Stuck inside that snake, she needed to hold her breath and not breathe in the toxic carbon gas inside its body. Of course the snake died from the flames before dispelling back into the monster realm where all these beasts reside. She glances at it, feeling somewhat sorry for using it this way but it was the only move that came to mind. She looks over and notices Kabuto and his now deceased snake. It seems he thought of the same move as well.

"Kabuto are you alright?" She yells over.

"Yeah I'm good." He replies. "You?"

"I'm fine too." She responds. It seems in this moment, their bickering and hatred for each other was shoved aside.

Kabuto lands next to her. "Nice reaction. I honestly thought you would get swallowed by those flames." He says without any hint of care or emotion.

"Don't start now!" Karin warns him, scowling at him from the corner of her eye. They both return their attention to Sasuke. "I see what you mean by taking him seriously." Karin says, somewhat respecting the boy now.

"Yeah, but he looks exhausted now." Kabuto says, nudging his glasses upwards as he studies Sasuke's state. Now he knows why he was holding back and not relying too much on his Sharingan. He was stashing it for that move and it looks like it sucked everything out of him.

"Then this should be easy then." Karin smirks.

* * *

Naruto stares down at the branch he sits on; head drooped low in shock and disbelief; eyes wide and wavering with tears. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. It feels like a horrible joke. His father caused the Nine-tails' attack on their village and what's worse, he betrayed his mother; left her for dead.

"No, no! You're lying." He yells, suddenly growing aggressive.

By this point, Orochimaru had revealed himself to him; all to gain his trust. "I speak the truth boy. Your father was the hero of the village, saving it from the nine-tails, but that's because he released the beast by accident during his effort to extract it from your mother, who wasn't yielding and fought back even in her weaken state after given birth." Orochimaru speaks to a choir of one.

Naruto sits and listens in silence; head still hanging low in despair.

"Kushina was truly an amazing woman." Orochimaru gazes up at the trees and sky. He meant that complement.

"But why?" Naruto looks up for the first time in a while, eyes swelling with tears. "Why would my father…." He chokes up; unable to finish. The perfect image he once held of his idol—his father—now filled with cracks.

"Minato was good man with good intentions. For him, he placed the village first above everything. Which is why he decided to place the power of the nine-tails in you." Orochimaru steps closer to Naruto.

"The only reason I can think of is because he probably lost faith in your mother." He glances sideways trying to recall something. "Kushina never liked their idea of becoming a weapon for the village and Minato wanted her to. He probably believed her defiance would cost the village in the long run which is why he sought after you instead."

Everything sinks inside and the disappointment and shock Naruto once held is replaced with a growing fury. "And so my dad left her to this Danzo guy?" He asks again, his voiced laced with pure hate that it brought a heartfelt joy to Orochimaru.

"Yes. Again Danzo is the true maestro in all of this. He held Minato's ears, counseled him at every moment in his young hokage tenure. Your mother was left to him to be taken care off after the beast was extracted from her." Orochimaru adds, embellishing the truth as much as possible. Unleashing the jinchuriki's fury after Danzo is after all part of the plan.

Naruto grits his teeth, clutching his hand tight into a fist; veins popping on the side. "How do you know all these Orochimaru?" He asks. His heart wants to believe the story Orochimaru's shared with him so far, but his head is speaking caution to him.

Orochimaru sighs and walks away from him, his back turned to the confused boy seeking the truth in all this. He planned for this very question. "Because I was there that night everything happened." He says and then turns back to him; slit black eyes meeting blue round ones.

"I was there the night your mom was giving birth since I was one of the legendary sannin. It was a secret invite from your father. He didn't want to make too much fanfare about your birth, so it was held in secret. I had no idea of his plans involving Kushina and you. I couldn't act when I notice what he was doing, because the place was surrounded by Danzo's anbus. It seems they were there to prevent any interruptions, along with the Third."

"Old man was there too?" Naruto asks, shocked that his godfather was in on this.

"Yes and it seems he knew of Minato's plan as well." Orochimaru twists the truth even more, lying about the Third's involvement; all to sour the boy further.

Orochimaru nods his head and continues his tale. "I voiced my displeasure about the extraction but they ignored me, telling me everything would fare alright and I shouldn't think about intervening. But I knew Kushina and I knew she won't agree to it. And that's when it happened. Her fighting to break the extraction jutsu caused Minato to lose control of the beast and the rest is history." Orochimaru sums up his story; one mixed with truths, half-truths, and omissions.

Naruto swallows his spit, digesting everything he just heard; more revelations each time Orochimaru spoke. Disheartened to discover his godfather—a man he looked up to—was involved in this; siding with his father to basically kill his mother. And then Naruto remembers the Fifth Hokage.

"Tsunade. Was she there too?" _Was she in this as well?_ He asks Orochimaru, remembering that Tsunade was a sannin like him which means she probably would be invited as much.

Orochimaru thinks this over; wondering if he could implicate her in this as well. But unlike the Third, she's still alive and could refute any lies so he answers truthfully. "No she wasn't' there." _In fact she wasn't in the village at the time. _If she were, their plan that night won't have worked. That bitch would have intervened against them to protect Kushina.

Naruto shifts while he sits, feeling sick to his stomach after learning about everything. To think his birth was filled with such violence and betrayal; that his father would do this to his own wife. And that his godfather—the Third—was in this too. Naruto grits his teeth, crying silently as his emotions swirl in a mix of hate and disappointment. All his hopes, dreams, and beliefs tarnished; destroyed. He clutches his chest in pain, feeling a dark abyss eating through his heart and soul. His father, Sarutobi; they all saw him as nothing but a weapon; a vessel for Kurama.

Orochimaru stares at the dishevel boy, smiling inside. This went well. The kid is now pudding in his hands. "You can't sit here and cry Naruto." Orochimaru crouches down; trying to meet his eye, but the boy doesn't budge; his head buried deep down in his wallowing despair.

"I came here because I have hope, hope that you would do what's just and set things straight." Orochimaru's words stir something inside him.

_Hope? _He thinks about it. _What is hope?_ He asks feeling a total void inside.

"I came here because I wanted you to know the truth of this village and yourself. To know the truth of the peace now residing in this village; the peace born from the life of your mother. She died because your father put this village ahead of her; ahead of you, Naruto."

Something stirs within Naruto. _Hope!_ _What is hope?_ He asks again.

Meanwhile the Kyubi feels something odd inside its host. It's been struggling to reach its host; like its powers is being blocked by something. It growls knowing something isn't right. _What is that idiot doing up there?_

Orochimaru senses the beast trying to break through his jutsu. He needs to wrap this quickly, feeling his seal on the boy's neck weakening. _If the nine-tails reaches his mind, it will complicate things. _

Naruto sits in his despair as Orochimaru continues to twist his mind. "Naruto, your father—in betraying your mother—gifted you with an amazing power. Use that power wisely." He says.

"Use that power and avenge your mother." Orochimaru whispers to boy, close to his face.

Something stirs within Naruto. _Hope! My hope is gone. Dead, the day my mother was taken from this earth._ "I will destroy them!" Naruto mutters, a voice so weak Orochimaru had trouble hearing.

"I will destroy them all."

Orochimaru hears him clearly this time around and the smile hidden inside defaces his features; morphing into a glorious grin. _Yes!_ He puts a hand on his shoulders, channeling his chakra to dispel and remove the jutsu he placed on the boy's neck when he was strangling him. It kept the nine-tails powers at bay—severing its connection to Naruto—but the seal now grows weak.

Orochimaru removes his seal, but leaves his hand on the boy's shoulder. "I will always be there to help you." He adds like a friend offering his condolence and support at the same time.

Orochimaru stands, feeling his work here is done. "I have to go" He tells the broken boy. "But don't worry I'll have one of my subordinates watch over you."

Naruto's ears peck up hearing his proposition and he looks up to him.

"Take the scroll and go rest somewhere with your team. My subordinate will get in touch with you. She will have the other half of that ring." Orochimaru points down behind his leg and Naruto sees the green ring laying next him. How did he not notice this before?

"Who is it?" Naruto asks, unsure on how to feel about someone watching his every move. The thought creeps him out a bit.

"Don't worry!" He glances back at him. "She's an Uzumaki like you." He turns, walking away from him. "Both of you are the last of your kind, the last remaining Uzumakis." He says into the wind and then vanishes.

"Wait!" Naruto shouts at no one as he now sits alone. He looks down, picking up the ring. It has a snake etched on its center stone. S_hould I put it on?_ He debates; a part of him still feels unsure about that guy. Naruto sighs and then hides the ring in his pocket. He spots the Earth scroll and picks it up, standing up with it.

Eying the scroll parchment, he thinks about Orochimaru and everything. "I need to find the others."

* * *

A/N: Thanks and Review.

Chapter 4 won't be done till weeks. I need to focus on my other story.


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